A Shavuot Menu

Celebrate with these tantalizing dishes.

Shavuot we decorate our home with flowers to remind us of the mountain upon which God presented us with the Torah. This recipe also is presented in the shape of a flower to fit the theme of this holiday.

Many times in cooking up simple dishes presentation is key. Every homemaker likes to make an impression. Salmon is a pretty basic appetizer offered at many festival meals but serving it in the shape of a flower makes it very special, and receives rave reviews from my guests! I serve rather small portions to leave room for the rest of this spectacular meal!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs oil

1 Tbs paprika

1 Tbs turmeric (optional)

½ tomato pureed

2 fresh cloves garlic minced

3 salmon steaks cut in half lengthwise

Directions:

Combine 1st 6 ingredients. Make a paste and smear the salmon steaks generously on all side. Oil a muffin tin well and take a half a piece of fish and roll into the muffin tin. It should fit in comfortably. Bake at 425 for 10 to 15 minutes until fish is golden. Serve cold or hot. Garnish with celery leaves and a twisted slice of lemon or lime.

Melt butter or oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent then add sliced mushroom to pan, and sauté until mushrooms are tender, approx. 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, take out some mushroom slices and reserve for garnish. In a separate dish stir 1 tablespoon flour with ½ cup of water removing lumps until well combined. Add it to the pot and gradually add remaining water, stirring constantly until thickened. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Puree soup with a blender stick. Add sour cream. Cook gently for another 5 minutes. Garnish with reserved mushroom slices.

Serve in pretty bowls and top with croutons.

Preparation
20 minutes
Serves 6

Pasta with Broccoli and Pine Nuts

A delightful dish that is easy to make ahead and warm up when needed for the dairy Yom Tov meal. Any pasta will work with this dish. My favorite is wide noodles, or penne noodles pictured above.

The beauty of this dish, apart from the speed from pot to plate, is how the broccoli takes on the lightly creamy, cheese sauce. I find myself always wishing there was more broccoli and less pasta when I eat it.

Note: you can substitute the pine nuts with toasted sesame seeds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients:

400g (14oz) wide noodles/elbow macaroni/penne pasta

2 Tbs olive oil

2 handfuls toasted pine nuts or any one of these toasted- sesame /sunflower/ pumpkin seeds

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 lbs. frozen broccoli florets

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large handfuls grated cheese

Additional grated cheese or parmesan, for serving

Directions:

Bring a very large saucepan of salted water to the boil.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium low heat. Add pine nuts or seeds and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until golden. Remove from heat.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Set your timer to go off three minutes before the pasta will be done. Cook pasta and when the timer buzzes, pop in the broccoli and continue to cook for the remaining three minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli bright green and cooked through. Reserve a cup of the cooking water then drain immediately.

Put the frying pan back on a low heat and add pasta and broccoli. Add the sour cream. Toss to combine all ingredients well then add cheese and toss again until the cheese has melted. If it looks a little dry, add some reserved pasta water until the sauce is to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

Preparation
15 minutes
Serves 6

Nutty Cole Slaw and Feta Cheese Salad

Here is a delicious and light version of red cabbage at its best. Red cabbage is delicious raw but many serve it cooked or steamed with equally tantalizing results!

Ingredients:

1 Red cabbage, sliced (use two bags of pre-checked cabbage)

8 oz (240 grams) Feta cheese, crumbled

2 shakes dill

4 ounces Pine nuts, roasted or toasted in a pot

1/3 cup Olive oil

1/3 cup Lemon juice, fresh squeezed

Directions:

Slice the red cabbage or spill contents of bags into a bowl.

Dress with olive oil and lemon juice.

Top with crumbled Feta cheese and pine nuts or seeds. Mix thoroughly and serve in pretty salad bowls, or as part of the main course!

Suggestions:

You may substitute feta cheese with your favorite cheese and serve as a main course or filling lunch. Substitute pine nuts with other seeds such as sesame or sunflower seeds. Substitute parsley with cilantro or other fresh herbs of your choice.

Preparation
10 minutes

Scrumptious Amaretto Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

For the topping:

1/4 cup sliced almonds, crushed

1/2 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon sugar

For the filling:

1 lb regular cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1-1/3 cups sour cream

1 Tbs melted butter

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

3 Tbs Amaretto liqueur

Directions:

Prepare the crust:
Preheat the oven to 325°F and position a rack in the lower portion. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a small bowl until well mixed. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan and press firmly into an even layer in the bottom. Set aside.

Prepare the topping:
With the food processor knife crush almonds into coarse pieces. In a small bowl, toss the crushed almonds with the melted butter and sugar. Spread on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in the oven to toast lightly while you prepare the filling, about 7 or 8 minutes. Set aside.

Prepare the filling:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and eggs until smooth. Add the sour cream, melted butter, vanilla extract, almond extract and Amaretto and blend until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Pour into the springform pan, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. The cake should appear set but still wiggle in the center if gently shaken from side to side.

When the cheesecake is done, shut off the oven, and leave the cake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Gradual temperature changes help prevent the top from cracking. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the topping evenly over the cake and place on a cooling rack for another 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

Preparation
20 minutes
Makes 12 servings

Notes:
For different toppings: Reserve a tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture for topping. You can also make an orange version ~ substitute orange extract for the almond and Grand Marnier (or Triple Sec) for the Amaretto. Top with some shaved dark chocolate or chocolate orange leaves.

Original Flower Challah

Basic Water Challah Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 Tbs honey

1 Tbs active dry or 2 ounces fresh yeast

1/2 cup oil (we use canola, but vegetable is fine)

6 cups unbleached white flour

2 tsp salt

1 egg yolk for a wash

Sesame or poppy seeds or cinnamon sugar for topping (optional)

Directions:

Mix ½ cup water with 1 tsp honey and the yeast. Allow to activate until bubbles form, approximately 10 minutes. Set aside. In a mixing bowl add salt, 1½ Tbs honey, flour; oil and 1½ cups water add the fermented yeast. Knead until a smooth and semi firm dough forms. Let dough rise for 1 hour, punch it down and then let rise another half hour.

You can also use your own favorite challah recipe.

The dough is now ready to be used for the flower.

Take a ball of dough and roll it out into a circle.

Place rolled out dough onto parchment paper allowing room to grow.

Then cut 5 slits into the circumference of the disc of dough to make 5 petals.

To create 2nd layer of petals, cut 1" strips of dough, roll out and place one piece over each petal. To finish off the flower place a few small balls of dough on top making an indentation into the middle of the dough so all layers stay in place.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Gitta Bixenspanner is a certified nutritionist who lives in Montreal with her husband. She teaches high school, seminary and give inspiring adult education classes in Jewish topics. As a certified nutritionist she gives cooking seminars, the main purpose being to teach people to adopt healthier lifestyles in keeping with the mitzvah of taking care of our bodies.

I’ve been dating a young woman for the past two years and we are starting to think about marriage. The problem is that she is not Jewish. I would want her to convert, but in a way where there would be no doubt about its validity, so that we and our kids don’t have problems later on. How do you recommend that I proceed?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

I appreciate your desire to do the right thing and proceed in an authentic way.

The process of conversion is challenging and involves a process of a year or two. This benefits the person converting, to ensure he fully appreciates the responsibilities he is taking on.

According to the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch), a valid conversion replicates the experience at Mount Sinai of 3,300 years ago, when the Jewish nation accepted the Torah. For your friend to convert, she must:

believe that Judaism is the true religion, not just accept it by default

study what it says in the Torah

commit to observe all the Torah's commandments

Further, a conversion must be motivated for the sincere purpose of getting close to God and His Torah, not for ulterior motives. Thus, your friend would have to embrace Judaism and the Torah for its own sake, not in order to marry you. She should have the exact same desire to convert even with you entirely out of the picture.

If your friend studies Judaism and feels it is right for her, she would then approach an Orthodox conversion court and explain her situation. The court would then decide if it feels she is a sincere candidate for conversion. If yes, she would begin the lengthy process of studying and practicing to become a true convert.

Of course, to have a successful relationship, you will also need a high level of appreciation and commitment to Judaism. Perhaps you could begin your own study program to discover how Torah values enhance our lives and form the bedrock of civilization.

You should endeavor to live near a Jewish community which has adult education programs, rabbis you can consult with, Shabbat hospitality programs, etc.

In 1273 BCE (Jewish year 2488), Moses completed his farewell address to the Jewish people, and God informed Moses that the day of his death was approaching (Deut. 31:14). Amazingly, the anniversary of Moses' completing his teaching coincides with the date in 1482 of the first printing of the standard format used for Jewish Bibles today: vowel signs, accents, translation (Targum), and Rashi commentary.

Lack of gratitude is at the root of discontent. In order to be consistently serene, we must master the attribute of being grateful to the Creator for all His gifts. As the Torah (Deuteronomy 26:11) states, "Rejoice with all the good the Almighty has given you." This does not negate our wanting more. But it does mean that we have a constant feeling of gratitude since as long as we are alive, we always have a list of things for which to be grateful.

[Solomon] was wiser than all men (I Kings 5:11), even wiser than fools (Midrash).

What does the Midrash mean by "wiser than fools"?

A man of means was once a Sabbath guest at the home of the Chofetz Chaim. He insisted upon paying the sage in advance for the Sabbath meals - an insulting demand. To everyone's surprise, the Chofetz Chaim accepted the money.

After the Sabbath the Chofetz Chaim forced the guest to take the money back. He explained, "Had I refused to accept the money before the Sabbath, the thought that he was imposing upon me might have distracted from the man's enjoying the spirit of the Sabbath. Although it was foolish of him to feel this way, I wished to put his mind at rest."

Not everyone thinks wisely all the time. Some people have foolish ideas. Yet if we oppose them, they may feel they have been wronged. Insisting on the logic of our own thinking may not convince them in the least. In such instances, it may require great wisdom to avoid offending someone, yet not submitting to his folly.

By accepting his guest's money, knowing that he would return it to him after the Sabbath, the Chofetz Chaim wisely accommodated this man's whim without compromising on his own principles.

A wise person may be convinced by a logical argument, but outsmarting a fool truly requires genius.

Today I shall...

try to avoid offending people whom I feel to be in the wrong, without in any way compromising myself.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...